Insurance Companies Accused Of Bait And Switch
By Tom Kisken, Ventura County Star, Calif. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
So he sued them.
The
The suits against
"That means
Lawyers want the lawsuits to be certified as class action litigation. They said as many as 410,000 consumers could be involved, including Californians who signed up for individual insurance with the two companies during the enrollment that started on
A
"We will review the complaint and may have more to say at a later time," said
The lawsuit presses one of many hot buttons created by federal health reform. Patients and doctors have complained for months about the size of provider networks and confusion over who is and isn't covered.
In July, Consumer Watchdog filed a lawsuit against
The lawsuits against
McCarthy is 57 and self employed. He and his wife had been covered by Aetna but learned their policies were being canceled.
Before paying
They said the doctors also confirmed they would accept the new coverage.
Only after McCarthy received a notice showing the insurer would pay only
His wife's doctor wasn't covered either, he said, adding the change in status has cost them several hundred dollars, maybe more.
"I am upset ... after all the calls we made to
The lawsuit alleges long telephone hold times were common and violate a state regulation requiring that waiting not exceed 10 minutes.
The lawsuit also alleges
Plaintiffs are asking the insurers to increase their networks of doctors and hospitals. In
Lawyers said they also want
McCarthy thinks his story and the lawsuit reveals the lack of power of people who aren't insured by employers and rely on the individual and family market.
"We're the 5 percent who got left out and had to fend for ourselves," he said.
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